It is well recognized that women in many countries (the percentage often varying from country to country, however, due to dietary and lifestyle differences) experience what are commonly termed "hot flashes" at menopause. In fact more women seek medical treatment for hot flashes then for any other menopausal complaint. Hot flashes are defined in the literature as brief (often disabling) periods of intense heat sensation, flushing, profuse sweating, palpitations and/or sense of anxiety. Current therapy in the United States and some other countries for the treatment of hot flashes is estrogen replacement. However various estrogen treatment formulas have undesirable side effects (for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,254), and usually estrogen replacement is not a practical or viable option for women who have had cancer or who are at high cancer risk levels for cancers that are affected by hormone levels. Also estrogen replacement is considered undesirable by some individuals, and a less extreme treatment medicine is desired by many.
According to the present invention, various herbal complexes are provided which can be administered to practice a method of substantially eliminating or ameliorating hot flashes. According to one aspect of the present invention this method comprises the step of administrating to a menopausal woman in need of treatment ingestible material that consists essentially of a complex herbal formulation in an amount effective to substantially eliminate or ameliorate brief periods of intense heat sensation, flushing, profuse sweating, palpitations, and for sense of anxiety (hot flashes). The complex herbal formulation is essentially free of human or animal origin estrogen or other female hormones. Substantially inert ingredients may also be added to the complexes to affect their taste, bulk, texture, or other attributes.
While a number of herbal complexes may achieve pharmacologically effective results according to the invention, three particular pharmacologically effective compositions have been identified. The first pharmacologically effective composition comprises a mixture of Curculigo orchioides, Epimedium grandiflorum, Angelica sinensis, Morinda officinalis, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Phellodendron amurense, Leonurus heterophyllus and Millettia dielsiana, in a pharmacologically effective amount. The second formulation comprises a pharmacologically effective composition comprising a mixture of Glycyrrhizae uralensis, Glycyrrhizae glabra, Astragalus membraneaceus, Poria cocos, Atractylodes lancea, Saussurea lappa, Polygala tenuifolia, Gardenia jasminoides, Cinnamomum cassia, Ziziphus jujuba, Panax ginseng, and Angelica sinensis, in a pharmacologically effective amount. A third pharmacologically effective composition comprises a mixture of Paeonia suffruticosa, Lycium chinense, Paeonia lactiflora, Paeonia lactiflora, Rehmannia glutinosa, Artemisia apiacea, Poria cocos, Phellodendron amurense, Bupleurum scorzoneraefolium, Coptis chinensis, and Cinnamomum cassia, in a pharmacologically effective amount.
The formulations according to the invention may be administered in any conventional form including tablets, capsules, elixirs, as additives to food or beverages, or even can be made into a tea. The administered amount may vary widely depending upon the particular individual, but daily dosages of between 500-2000 mg are normally effective. Not all intensity, frequency, or both of most of the manifestations will be positively impacted.